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The Riigikogu is the parliament of Estonia. Its 101 members are elected at general elections for a term of four years. The Riigikogu passes laws and resolutions, exercises parliamentary supervision and ratifies international agreements.

The Riigikogu has 11 standing committees and 3 select committees. Committees of investigation and study committees are formed to investigate issues of public interest or problems of significant imprtance.

Activities of Chancellor of Justice were discussed at Riigikogu

28.09.2010 / Sitting reviews

Today, the Chancellor of Justice Indrek Teder presented a report to the Riigikogu on the exercise of supervision over the conformity of the legislation of general application with the Constitution and Acts, and respect for fundamental rights and liberties, and the activities of the Chancellor of Justice as a preventive institution.

In his oral report, the Chancellor of Justice discussed at length the regulation of economy by the public authorities. Teder suggested that the legislator might define the strategic spheres that need priority development in Estonia. He drew attention to the issue that was raised recently where “foundations handle large amounts of public money quite casually”. In the opinion of the Chancellor of Justice, legal problems exist there: whether the society actually knows today why somebody receives support and somebody does not, that is, how transparent the transformation of the public money into private money is. Teder also drew attention to the need to better protect the consumer when the consumer is in the sphere of influence of a monopoly.

Teder also spoke about the rights of children, issues relating to rehabilitation of addicts and children’s ombudsman, independence of the judicial system and access to the administration of justice, surveillance and constitutional patriotism.

The Chancellor of Justice recognised that cooperation with the Riigikogu had been in every way constructive. “The Riigikogu is not only a constitutional organisation but, according to the Constitution, we are a parliamentary democracy. To put it in a simplified way, all significant national issues are debated and decided in the parliament, and they are indeed debated not merely formalised. Estonia is a parliamentary state and the members of the parliament have shown themselves as members of the legislative body of a parliamentary state,” concluded Teder. Members of the Riigikogu asked the Chancellor of Justice many questions.

On the motion of the Constitutional Committee, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic ofEstonia (742 SE), initiated by 67 members of the Riigikogu, was concluded. According to the Bill, an additional section 531 will be added to the Constitution in the following wording: “Everyone has a duty to preserve the Estonian cultural heritage as well as the cultural heritage of other nations. The state and local governments shall support restoration and protection of cultural objects.” The initiators of the Bill are of the opinion that the Constitution does not regulate the need and obligation to protect the cultural heritage with sufficient clarity. The Bill was sent to the second reading.

On the motion of the Economic Affairs Committee, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Roads Act (788 SE), initiated by the Estonian Green Party Faction, was concluded. The amendments provide an obligation according to which traffic control devices used in organisation of traffic have to be created and located noticeably and visibly. The Bill is also intended to regulate the use of private roads for accessing registered immovables, providing that, in case of a road which was in public use before transfer into private ownership, the owner of the private road must not hinder passage to registered immovables to which the private road is the only access. The Bill was sent to the second reading.

Due to the end of the working hours of the sitting of the plenary assembly, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Parental Benefit Act (769 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction, was adjourned. The deliberation will be resumed tomorrow, on Wednesday, at the sitting beginning at 2 p.m.

For more details, read the verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian):